The Amazing Disappearing Kitchener CBC

I love the CBC. Its news coverage is among the best around, it’s meant the world to the Canadian comedy scene, it plays loads of great music and is the home of some of my favourite sports memories. With all that going for it, how could I not love it?

But as much as I love it, I know it’s not perfect. Take today, for instance.

If you live around here or have been following along, you may be aware that we here in KW were recently the recipients of our very own local morning show. It’s not bad. It’s taking some time to find it’s way, but anybody who didn’t expect at least a little of that probably has no idea how hard talking for that long on the radio about a gazillion different issues with people you’ve never worked with before can actually be.

Two days ago, I turned on the radio to find that Metro Morning was on in place of the Kitchener show I was expecting. At the time it was claimed that this was due to a transmitter issue. Seemed strange, but reasonable enough. The next day, everything was back to normal, so I figured ok, weird transmitter it is. And then today it happened again. Wow, that’s some hard luck, I thought. Two outages in a week. I’d hate to be somebody down there right now. I still would, it’s just not the somebody I would have expected.

CBC Radio is temporarily taking its Waterloo Region local morning show off the air because the network has not yet received final approval of its broadcast application.

CBC had filed the application for the Waterloo Region service with the CRTC in June 2012, submitted a follow up clarification in September 2012 and filed a reply to interventions in December 2012. But approval has not yet been received.
CBC said that it anticipates this will be a temporary solution while it awaits final approval of its broadcast application from the CRTC.

Spokesman Angus McKinnon called it “a regrettable oversight,” which I imagine is a nice way of saying “my boss is so firing the shit out of somebody right now.”

Radio has been home to some remarkably stupid crap over the years, but full launching a station that didn’t have its full regulatory approval is a new one on me. How was that allowed to happen, and how long will it take to fix?

In the meantime, you can still hear the Morning Edition online if you’ve grown to like it and find yourself missing it. It’s on the web here as well as through your mobile app of choice.

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